Underneath This Smile
by sami.60
Summary: AU drabble? ...Maka, recently arrived from parts unknown, meets Soul, the problem child. Should she follow her heart which wants him, or her instincts telling her to run far and fast? MakaxxSoul


So... I haven't quite decided if I wanna make this smut or not, yet. I was considering turning this into one of my experiments in which they share a caring and yet decidedly lustful encounter of the kinky variety, or it could just turn into vanilla with no kink or hell, I could leave this rated T. (And by kinky I mean something I've never EVER written before but have been considering for a while...but it's not too weird or anything, and it'll stay between the two of them...) Comments? Suggestions? Feedback? Does anyone even care?

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Young, fresh faced, and full of charm, Maka Albarn had never had problems making friends. Her IQ was nothing to scoff at, and all of her teachers were happy to have her in their class. Her life should be happy. Her life should be above average.

She should be a lot of things.

She would be if he would just notice her, already. Maka had been hopelessly, stupidly, _secretly_, devoted to one Soul Eater, the school's too-cool-for-school bad boy, complete with motorcycle and leather jacket since she'd moved to Death City the month previous. He'd had yet to say more than five words to her at a time, he'd never looked her in the eyes, nor had he seemed to mind that his friends all liked her a lot.

No, he'd rather spend his time in Patty's pants.

Speaking of which, the Principal's son—Kid—seemed to have some kind of thing for her as well. She'd briefly considered going out with him, but had decided against it on the grounds that Soul just _wouldn't leave her alone._

Not that he'd ever done anything, but he was still responsible.

At any rate, Maka had been spending a lot of time with Tsubaki, the girlfriend of Soul's best friend, and the girl had a strange talent for finding out people's secrets. Luckily, she seemed pretty trustworthy (although Liz and Patty seemed way too loudmouthed for her liking). So, eventually, Tsubaki's patience had been rewarded with Maka spilling her guts about how much she liked Soul, and how she'd never even kissed a boy, but she wanted to be with him like all of those other girls, etc. etc.—all of this a mere two weeks after her arrival.

Tsubaki works fast.

She'd wanted to tell Liz—because Patty might accidentally say something, but Liz would never be that thoughtless or cruel—but Maka had fervently refused. It wasn't right, she'd said. He was dating Patty, she'd said.

Tsubaki had smiled sadly, shaking her head and muttering something about 'stupid boys', whatever that meant.

So here she was, faking a smile in the middle of Biology as Dr. Stein presented yet another lab assignment—Maka had been praying for good old textbook work for days—as Liz and Patty chattered on with Tsubaki and Black Star. Kid would occasionally contribute to the conversation and Maka… Maka struggled not to keep sneaking glances at the snowy white hair on Soul's desk, decorated with a wide brimmed bandana. She was sure that Tsubaki was watching her, and Kid and Liz probably suspected that something wasn't right.

Still, no one said anything about her tense form, and soon the class began. The time passed in a blur of Maka's pencil rapidly scribbling notes into her spiral.

Neither Soul nor Black Star were present in third period, but that was practically normal; Ms. Marie didn't even bother commenting. Tsubaki dutifully took detailed notes—on everything from what the teacher said and did to social interaction—and Maka found herself wanting to do the same. She'd give practically anything to have the responsibilities that came with being Soul's girl.

Luckily—or perhaps unluckily—Liz and Patty didn't share that period with them, so they couldn't comment on Tsubaki's sympathetic glances or the notes passed between them. This did leave Maka with ninety minutes to ruminate on whether or not Soul was with Patty at the moment.

It was a surprise then, when she left class at the end of the day, that he was waiting propped up next to her locker, arms crossed and chin tilted down, as if in thought. She carefully approached, like a gazelle stalking a lion—something that felt entirely unnatural. Afraid to make a fool of herself, Maka ignored him, opening her locker and depositing her books inside, making the transition from what she had to which materials she'd need to study with.

"Aren't you even going to say 'hello'?"

Maka inhaled sharply. His voice was like something had entered her, creating a trail of fire down the back of her throat and into her abdomen, leaving her almost breathless and she immediately felt stupid—he was still waiting for a reply and she could barely remember how to breathe.

"You didn't say 'hello' either, you know. You shouldn't question other people's bad manners if you can't even present your own."

_Dammit._That was not what she'd intended to say. Now what? Surely he wouldn't ever be attracted to her now that she'd practically called him a hypocritical Neanderthal.

But instead of storming off or becoming offended, he merely laughed at her, turning his steely gray eyes to face her and locking her in place. Of course he wouldn't mind—he wasn't the type to be easily upset.

"I guess you're right, aren't you? Tsubaki said you were smart; I should have believed her." And suddenly he was grinning, flashing those sharp canines that made her cringe in fear—and maybe a bit of lust.

"Let's start over then, yes? Hi, Soul."

A pause and he didn't say anything, merely stared at her with those eerie eyes that seemed as though they could see straight to her soul.

"Hey, Maka."

She chuckled awkwardly a few minutes later; he said nothing, merely quirking an eyebrow as she turned back to her locker to pick up the rest of her books. "So do you want a ride?"

Her head jerked up and she turned to face him, neglecting to clear her locker first, so her head slammed into the door painfully. "Oh, ow…"

He winced in sympathy, reaching up to gently rub the knot forming on her head. "You OK?"

"I will be…" Her pain was nothing compared to the embarrassment infusing her face with a heated blush.

Another chuckle was his response and he bent the few inches between them to look in her eyes again. "So about that ride…?"

Maka's eyes were watering a bit, and she was cringing as if she had a headache. Soul wouldn't have been surprised if she'd given herself a concussion—her head had practically dented the metal.

"Yes please…if you don't mind."

He nodded, releasing her head from his grasp and striding away. He turned back when he noticed that she wasn't with him and saw that she was looking at the ground beside her locker, biting her lip in a rather dejected manner.

"Aren't you coming?"

She glanced up at him, her face breaking into a huge megawatt smile and she closed her locker door. "Yeah, I'm coming."

With that, Maka found herself following him out of the building, ignoring the bemused and often heated stares she received. His bike was parked in front of the school doors and he climbed on, offering a hand to help her up. "You might want to hold on. It gets a little bit bumpy."

It wasn't until he started the engine and pulled out into the road that she realized she hadn't given him an address—he hadn't even asked for her destination—and this was the first time he'd legitimately shown any interest in her. Tsubaki wouldn't have said anything…would she?

Still, the scenery that passed by in a blur was beautiful—glowing reds and blues mixing together—and she hugged his back, content to ignore her niggling suspicions.

Maybe she'd started to fall asleep though, because suddenly his hand was gripping hers and he was slowing down the bike, turning around in his chair to yell in her face. Maka opened her eyes, wondering why he looked so upset. They came to a stop alongside a ditch, somewhere outside of the city, yet not quite in the desert.

"Are you trying to get yourself killed? I said to hold on; didn't you hear me?" His eyes mere slits, she cringed back a bit, clenching her fingers tightly. Maka wasn't sure what to say in the face of his obvious anger, and, figuring that whatever she'd done to offend him had probably nullified his offer of a ride home, she swung her leg over the side of the bike, prepared to take her leave.

"And where do you think you're going?"

Maka bit her lip, close to tears. "I... " Her voice trailed off and he sighed, turned off the ignition, and turned in the seat so that his entire body now faced her.

"I should've known. You aren't the type of girl I usually date. You make me nervous. I guess I overreacted, but when you let go of me, I was...afraid for you. I'm sorry I yelled."

The fact that he was even acknowledging his role in scaring her half to death was touching, but his partial confession reminded her of her own suppressed desire and she caught her breath. Maybe there was hope for her yet.

"I'm sorry I scared you. I didn't mean to let go, honestly. The whole situation was just so relaxing; it must have lulled me to sleep. It won't happen again."

Another sigh left his parted lips and Maka's gaze immediately flew to his mouth, only just able to imagine the way they'd feel against her own. "I suppose I can't blame you for being tired, can I?"

She grimaced. "It's been a hectic few weeks for everyone at school; I'm not really an exception."  
He grinned that sharky smile again and... Well, it should be obvious by now that Maka was excited in some way by practically everything he did.

"Can I ask you something, Soul?"

"Shoot." He retrieved a pack of cigarettes from his pocket and shook one out, fishing for a lighter in the other. A few snaps and suddenly a small flame began dancing at the tip.

"Why did you bring me out here?"

He shrugged, inhaling some of the smoke, taking his time before he answered. "Well, I'd planned on taking you a bit farther out, but we had to stop."

"You know what I meant, Soul." He smiled, and Maka got the feeling that he enjoyed teasing her, if only a little.

"You want the serious answer, then?" She nodded and Soul took another draw from the slim stick. "I said before that you aren't like the other girls I usually date. You're...different. Hell, you're different from everyone at this school." He took another draw, not even looking at her at this point, but off and into the distance. "I can't really explain it. There's a... connection that I feel with you, ya know?" Again, he paused to pass the cigarette between his lips. "I'm not really sure why I wanted to bring you out this way, today. Curiosity, definitely. Interest, maybe. I dunno. Why did you come with me?"

His bright crimson eyes finally settled on hers again and she blushed, her fingers twiddling nervously behind her back. "I... That connection that you talked about. I think I know what you mean... At least, I hope I do. There's something about you that... entices me. I want to know you."

Her cheeks were flaming pink, and she couldn't even bring herself to look at him, sure that he was probably snickering or guffawing because of her childishness. But no; his fingers gripped her chin-when had he even stood?-and turned her face to his. "I'm glad we're on the same page."

"Yeah... me too."

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As always, I promise to review your stuff if you do mine! Pwease? :3


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